Ted sed:
> What I'd like to see is someone (FIC?) making a computer *like* the Neo
> that's a real laptop replacement. 1Ghz ARM, DVI out, 640x480 screen
> just like what we have in the Neo, runs slow when it's on batteries,
> fast when it's plugged in, a couple gigabytes of flash, an external hard
> drive for when you're near power, and Bob's your uncle.
There are already devices like that on the open market...UMPC's. Granted,
they are bigger than a cell phone, but are much smaller than even a
lightweight laptop, and might suit your needs.
I just took delivery of a Raon Everun UMPC yesterday. 800x480 resolution
4.8" touch sensitive screen, with the whole device at 170x83x25mm in size
(about double the size of an iPhone in all directions). 7.5 hour battery
life. Powered by a AMD 600mhz processor, 512MB memory, with 60GB of disk,
802.11bg, bluetooth and even a HSPDA slot for a SIM card (though I haven't
tried that yet!). Weights about a pound with the standard battery in it.
But it's not a cell phone by any stretch...not sure if you can even use the
SIM card for cell access, and if you could, at a half kilo, it would be quite
a brick to hold to your ear.
What was amazing is that it was less than a grand in cost!
Comes with WinXP only though ;-( . I would have preferred Ubuntu or some
other variant of Linux, but for my demo purposes that will work since all I
need really is Firefox for what I'm doing.
More info and pics here if anyone is interested:
http://www.raondigital.com/fnt_english/
As someone else said, the lack of memory in the planned OpenMoko hardware
will likely be the critical limiting factor in what you can do in the way of
more complex apps. Then again, I have an unlocked iPhone (only way to get it
running here in Canuck land) and you can run some pretty decent stuff on it
with good response. Problem there, of course, is that it's a closed platform
and requires hacks to unlock it, so an open phone platform is very attractive
to me.
At some point, it is good to remember the old adage: "Horses for courses".
Andrzej Jan Taramina
Coalese Corporation: Making Integration Easier
http://www.coalese.com